The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical connectors, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for terminating electrical connectors to cables.
Various electronic systems, such as those used to transmit signals in the telecommunications industry, include connector assemblies with electrical wires arranged in differential pairs. One wire in the differential pair carries a positive signal and the other wire carries a negative signal intended to have the same absolute magnitude, but at an opposite polarity. An RJ-45 electrical connector is one example of a connector used to transmit electrical signals in differential pairs.
In an effort to improve the efficiency and convenience of terminating the electrical connector to a cable, wire lacing features and cutting blades are being integrated into the electrical connector. Such configurations allow the wires to be terminated and trimmed without the need for a separate lacing fixture tool. Electrical connectors that utilize such features are not without disadvantages. For instance, known electrical connectors that include cutting blades only support the wires on one side of the cutting blade during the trimming process. The wires are therefore supported in a cantilevered beam configuration and are susceptible to being deflected instead of having a clean cut. This condition is worsened with dulled cutting blades or if a gap exists between the wire support and the cutting blade. As such, cutting blades made from very hard metals are used, which increases the overall cost of the electrical connector. Additionally, the connector assemblies are being manufactured to very tight tolerances to ensure that no gaps exist between the cutting blade and the support wall. Such manufacturing concerns increase the overall cost of the electrical connectors. Moreover, wires that are not cut clean and that have been deflected result in stretched and exposed conductors that could potentially lead to electrical shorting between components and or degradation of transmission performance and return loss.
A need remains for an electrical connector that may provide proper support for wires during the trimming process.